Clement Comer Clay

Clement Comer Clay, photographed by Mathew B. Brady

Clement Comer Clay (born December 17, 1789 in Halifax County , Virginia , † September 7, 1866 in Huntsville , Alabama ) was an American lawyer and politician ( Democratic Party ). He was the eighth Governor of Alabama, United States Senator, and Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court .

Early years

Clement Comer Clay was born in Virginia in 1789. Some time later, his family moved to nearby Knoxville , Tennessee . There he attended public schools and graduated from Blount College in 1807. He was admitted to the bar in 1809 and then moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he practiced until 1811. When the Creek War broke out in 1813, Clay served first as a private and later as an adjutant . A few days after the war ended, he resigned on December 24, 1814 and returned to Alabama, where he began to practice again. Clay decided to pursue a political career and was a member of the Territorial Council of Alabama between 1817 and 1818. He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention of Alabama in 1819. In the same year he was also elected district judge. A year later he was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, where he served until 1823. Due to a serious illness, he had to retire temporarily from the public service. However, he returned to the political stage in 1827. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, where he served until 1828. He was then a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1829 to 1835 .

politics

On August 3, 1835, Clay was elected 8th Governor of Alabama and sworn in on November 21, 1835. The Creek War of 1836 dominated Clay's tenure. A large number of unrest in the summer of 1836 resulted in the US Army embarking on a campaign against the Indians. As Commander-in-Chief of the Alabama militia, Clay personally assumed command and commanded the troops in the field. During his tenure, the New Echota Treaty was signed, the State Bank of Alabama was charged with all possible government spending, and Parliament abolished direct taxation. During his tenure, financial problems played a major role. The economic crisis of 1837 caused panic and a run on the state bank, so that Clay had to interrupt the cashless payments. He then called a special session of parliament to solve the state's financial problems. Clay resigned from his post as governor on July 17, 1837 to succeed John McKinley in the US Senate . There he remained for the entire term of office until 1841. His successor was Arthur Bagby .

Another résumé

Between 1842 and 1843, Clay was busy drawing up an Alabama law survey. He was then an associate judge in the Alabama Supreme Court in 1843. He was later a member of the State Bank's banking committee in 1846. After that, Clay decided to step back from the political limelight and went back to practice as a lawyer with his two sons. However, during the civil war , he was imprisoned and his property was confiscated. Clay died on September 6, 1866 and was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville. He was married to Susanna Claiborne Withers. They had three children together.

Web links

• Clement Clay in the National Governors Association (English)
• Clement Comer Clay in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• The Political Graveyard (English)
• Clement Comer Clay in the database of Find a Grave (English)